With local elections this May it is time for residents to decide who they want to run the council - the Lib Dems who have a record of success in making Islington better or Labour, whose shameful record includes:

• plans to cut the Whittington Hospital
• voting against Lib Dem plans to put more police on our streets
• and the Iraq war

The Lib Dem have launched 4 pledges. We want you to tell us which of our pledges are most important to you or add your own. You can do this on-line here.
1. We will cut crime

Everyone has the right to live in a safe, clean environment. That’s why local Lib Dems are pledging to cut crime. We will provide more late-night policing on top of regular police patrols provided by the Mayor of London. We will crack down on late licences for bars and clubs. Tougher action will be taken against those who do not clear up after their dogs. Vote now.

2. A better start for our young people
Local Lib Dems on the Council have worked hard to help deliver the best ever school exam results in Islington.
We pledge to build on this success and get better exam results this year too. We also pledge to give local young people more housing points. We will deliver more apprenticeships for our young people to ensure they get the best start in life. Vote now.

3. A greener Islington
Combating climate change and global warming is the single biggest challenge we face. Local Lib Dems are pledging to make Islington greener. One of the ways we will do this is through more local energy generation. This will lower people’s energy bills and create new green, local jobs. Vote now.

4. We will lower taxes
Gordon Brown’s recession means that everyone’s had to tighten their belts. Local Lib Dems believe that money is better off in your pocket rather than in council coffers. Labour councillors voted to raise council tax this year. We’re pledging to keep your council tax among the lowest 10 councils in all of London. Vote now.

5. Or add your own - we want your views too. You can do that by clicking here.

Click here to tell us your priorities for Islington

Highbury LibDem councillor and Leader of Islington Council, Terry Stacy, was at the forefront of the Save the Whittington march today, with colleagues Julie Horten and John Gilbert together with local parliamentary candidate Rhodri Jamieson-Ball and LibDem councillors, candidates and activists from across the borough marching close behind.  There was a phenomenal turn out with several thousand people joining the march as it made its way along Holloway Road from Highbury Corner, past the hospital to Whittington Park.  The protest against the Government’s plans to close the Whittington’s casualty department also hit the national headlines - click here.

All shades of political opinion were united on the march from Communists, Socialist Workers, the Labour Party (who seem not to see their hypocrisy, as it is Gordon Brown’s Labour Government that is behind the plans to close the Whittington casualty department) and even some Tories -  we counted 3 walking behind the Conservative banner!  The Tories have shown a shocking lack of interest in what is undoubtedly the burning issue in local politics: Google “Whittington” with “Liberal Democrat” or “Labour” and you will find plenty of comment on the web, but google “Whittington” and “Conservative” and you’ll find quite a different story.

If you haven’t signed our petition yet, you can do so here

More pictures of the march can be found by clicking on this link: Read the rest of this entry. Read the rest of this entry. Read the rest of this entry.

John, Terry and Laura have pointed out to TfL that around 1,000 people travel on the 236 at night each week and that it provides a vital link between Highbury and the Homerton Hospital as well as other parts of Hackney and Newington Green.  Islington has one of the lowest levels of car ownership in the country and local night workers rely on bus services.  As usual it is the least well-off who will be hardest hit by Boris’ cuts.

If you would like to join our campaign, please sign our petition here.

We feel this is the height of complacency: there are often long delays between buses on the no 4 and it seems ever more frequent that you get on a northbound no 4 in the City or at Angel expecting it to take you to Highbury only to get turfed off at the top of Upper Street because the bus is terminating there rather than carrying on for the whole of the route.

If you feel this isn’t good enough, let us know by leaving a comment on our website or by emailing us at councillors@highburyeast.org.uk- you can also complain direct to TfL via their website or by following the quick link here

 All this will cause disruption for residents.  The council has imposed conditions on the work to keep noise to a minimum and Terry, John, Julie and Laura will be monitoring the situation carefully - if you are having problems because of the works, you should let Network Rail know direct on 08457 11 41 41, but please let us know too by emailing us at councillors@highburyeast.org.uk and we will take it up with the council and with Network Rail management.

You can find further details of the works on the Network Rail website.  Details of replacement buses and other alternative transport are in a TfL leaflet which can be viewed online by clicking here.

Network Rail are also organising a drop-in session at which residents can have their questions about the works answered.  This will take place next Wednesday, 10th February between 4.30 and 7.30pm at the Laycock Professional Development Centre on Laycock Street (also accessible from Highbury Station Road)

Local Highbury East councillors Terry Stacy, John Gilbert and Laura Willoughby are proud that the LibDem-run council has brought about this extension to the useable area of the Fields, a significant step towards implementing the community backed “Vision for Highbury Fields” and towards investing the £1million programme of improvements for the area.

The campaign is gaining pace to save the Accident and Emergency Department from the Government’s proposals to axe it.  Locally Julie, John and Terry have been calling on residents asking them to sign our petition to stop the A&E department being moved to the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead. 

Meanwhile, the wider the campaign organised by the Defend the Whittington Hospital Coalition is also gathering steam.  A demonstration to show people’s anger at the closure plans is being organised on Saturday 27 February starting at noon on Highbury Fields and marching up the Holloway Road past the hospital and on to  a rally in Whittington Park.  Julie, Terry and John will be supporting the demonstration: further details and a flyer can be found here and more information on the Coalition and the events it is organising can be accessed from their homepage here.

If you would like to sign our petition and haven’t already done so, you can sign online by clicking here

Much of this improvement is down to the continued hard work of our local Safer Neighbourhoods Team whose latest newsletter can be accessed from the Council’s website by clicking here.  The Safer Neighbourhood Panel, which brings together the Safer Neighbourhood Team, residents and councillors, has set burglary,  drugs, bike theft and car crime as the priority areas for the Team to crack down on.  We will be reviewing these priorities with the police in the light of the latest statistics.  If you have views on whether the priorities should stay the same or be changed, please let us know by posting a comment on this page or by emailing us at councillors@highburyeast.org.uk.

If you haven’t already, please sign our petition at:
www.savethewhittington.com

The Council also topped up the yellow salt bins on street corners around the borough last night. Residents are welcome to help themselves to salt and grit from these bins to keep the pathways around their own homes ice free.  There are dozens of these bins around the streets of Highbury - you can find them from the Interactive maps link on the Council’s website by clicking here and then clicking on ‘Winter Gritting’ on the right hand side of the screen and ticking the box marked ‘Salt Bins’.

You can also find the latest information about how the weather is affecting Islington and what the council is doing to help from Islington Council’s website by clicking here.

Shortly after the protest demonstration on 7 December about the “Killer Crossing” across Holloway Road between Fieldway Crescent and Madras Place (pictured here), the Highbury East LibDem action team of Councillors Terry Stacy, John Gilbert, Laura Willoughby and local resident Julie Horten learnt that Transport for London, whose responsibility the crossing is, have drawn up four alternative schemes for making the crossing safer.  They are consulting local councillors and residents as well as local groups such as Living Streets and Islington Cyclists’ Action Group and will present their findings at a meeting of the East Area Committee in March 2009.  Anyone who would like to see the plans and comment on them should contact local LibDem councillor, John Gilbert, on cllr.j.gilbert@gmail.com.

We say this whole process has taken far too long already and we will continue to urge Transport for London and Islington council officers to come to a decision quickly and implement real improvements to safety for both cyclists and pedestrians.

Highbury Fields – the borough’s largest open space – is set to become even bigger with the demolition of a derelict works depot in the park.  Highbury Fields is the latest green space to benefit from the Liberal Democrat council’s £7million investment in parks and open spaces.

Councillor Terry Stacy, who represents Highbury East, commented:“Liberal Democrat councillors have been determined to find new green space for Islington residents wherever we can, as we have the smallest amount of open space of any London borough.   “Liberal Democrats have brought over a hectare of extra green space into public use since 2005, including brand new extensions to Gillespie Park, Arundel Square, and Caledonian Park. As one of the local councillors, I’m pleased that now it’s Highbury Fields’ turn.” 

Islington Council’s leader took local resident Julie Horten to Highbury Fields recently to look at plans for the park extension.  She added:“It was such a waste that these run-down sheds were sitting at the corner of Highbury Fields going to wrack and ruin, and providing a hiding place for people to loiter.    “Opening up this corner of the park will not only provide valuable new green space for Highbury residents, but help make this entire side of the Fields safer.  I’ve asked the council to make sure they put in new lighting as well as new trees.” 

In August 2007 there were 420 racks in Islington. By August 2008 the council had doubled that number to 880. Today there are over 1230 cycle racks on roads all around Islington – more than double the number than in neighbouring Labour-run Hackney.

A June 2009 report by the London Assembly found that 45% of people would cycle more if there was better cycle parking. Research conducted by TfL showed that the availability of cycle parking and the security of parked bikes remain the two biggest cycling-related concerns.

Councillor Greg Foxsmith, Islington’s Liberal Democrat councillor responsible for transport and the environment, said:

“I cycle, and would recommend it as a great way to get around Islington. The Liberal Democrats want to support people to take up cycling, and people need to know that they have somewhere secure to park their bike when they visit the shops, the doctor, church, or while they’re at work.

“That’s why this Liberal Democrat council has tripled the number of cycle racks on our streets in the last two years. We’re committed to making Islington one of the most cycle-friendly boroughs in London.”

Little over a year since Lisa Pontecorvo died, Leader of the Council and Highbury Councillor Terry Stacy met the Mayor personally to ask what was creating the log jam. Shortly after this meeting another person was injured. Terry and ward colleagues have reacted angrily to the continual delays and the latest news from Boris (below) was clearly TfL stalling the project again.

Terry said: “It is just not a priority for them. They know there is pressure but it is not high enough up their list!”

In a recent answer to GLA member Caroline Pidgeon Boris said:

“The timelines involved are partly due to the nature and complexity of the Transport for London Road Network and the need to balance the competing demands and priorities of all users, at both the local and strategic level. This is particularly the case at this junction, where the needs of cyclists and pedestrians crossing Holloway Road not only need to be balanced against the vehicular traffic travelling along the corridor, but also against each others’ desires to cross the road.

“TfL has now developed six options providing the most appropriate changes at this junction given these competing demands on the network.  Further work is required to narrow these to a preferred option(s), to take forward for more detailed development.”

Cllr John Gilbert who has been leading the campaign said: “This is just red tape - it has taken over a year to get to this stage, now they want a process to narrow down the options from 6 to 1. They are stalling for time because they do not want to spend the money. This is not good enough!”

Our petition is still live. Please sign-up to the campaign below.

The film celebrates over 50 years of community life on Highbury Quadrant Estate through still images,  film clips and interviews (including the unveiling of the Neighbours statue in 1959 pictured opposite).  A very clear message comes through the film that Highbury Quadrant is a very special place, not only because of its green spaces and progressive design and architecture but also because of the people who live there and the neighbourliness that exists on the estate.

The film was made by the Highbury Quadrant Living History Project and funded by a grant from Terry, John and Laura’s Area Committee budget as well as by the National Lottery.  It will shortly be playing in the recently refurbished Islington Museum on St John’s Street.

This survey is just one way of communicating with your ward councillors. By filling it in you will help us make Highbury East a better place and help set us some priorities to improve things for you.

To fill it in just CLICK HERE

Following a successful trial of pay by phone technology in Isington, Highbury is the next location to get this option to pay for metered parking but unlike some London boroughs which have introduced pay-by-phone it will be an added option and not compulsory.

* reminder texts before parking time expires

* no need to carry large amount of coin

* businesses’ can register fleet vehicles and manage account on-line

* reduction of paper ticket usage and reduced co2 emissions from
maintenance and cash collectors’ vehicles

Works will commence over the next few weeks without affecting current short-stay parking options.

This new apple tree in Sipson, on the runway site, plated by the campaigning group of 24 councils means that if BAA Airports and the Government try to build a new runway they will have to uproot an orchard owned by millions of Londoners.

Council leader Terry Stacy planted a new ornamental apple tree on Witherington Road in Highbury, to mark the protest 20 miles away at Heathrow Airport.

Islington’s Lib Dem Council Leader Terry Stacy commented:

“We joined the 2M Group of councils fighting Heathrow Expansion because it would be a climate catastrophe. But increasing numbers of flights has a direct impact on Islington residents. More flights mean more aircraft flying over our borough, which means more noise. Only this week we had a resident write to us asking what the council can do about the noise from passing planes in the night and mornings, and we had to say that we can do nothing– except fight against the Labour Government’s misguided policy of airport expansion.”

Islington Council and First Capital Connect, the train operator, have submitted a joint bid to the Department for Transport to give the station step-free access.  Access to both platforms at Drayton Park Station is currently via a steep set of stairs.  The funding would also improve safety and comfort for passengers, with new lighting and new benches.

Funding for Drayton Park station was rejected by the Government last year, so the local councillors are demanding that the Government don’t overlook it this time around.

Councillor John Gilbert represented Highbury East residents in a meeting with First Capital Connect to discuss the station earlier this year, after Highbury East’s Lib Dem councillors had a huge response to a petition they ran asking First Capital Connect to keep the ticket office open at the station.  John commented:

“Drayton Park station really needs improvements, and we’re writing to the Secretary of State to try and make sure that our local station isn’t overlooked yet again by the Government.

“In our meeting with First Capital Connect earlier this year, we also discussed opening a shop or café in the station to sell tickets from.  At the time they seemed positive about the idea, so we are going to be raising this again with the train company to try and really improve the station for local commuters.”

Highbury Resident Julie Horten said:

“There are many people living around here with mobility problems or who use wheelchairs, and Drayton Park School has teaching facilities for pupils with physical disabilities. Step-free disabled access to our local station would be a godsend for all those people as well as parents with pushchairs.”

Highbury East’s Safer Neighbourhood police team is targeting bike thieves in our area.  One bike thief was caught red handed and arrested in Whistler Street last week and the police are hopeful of catching more in a ward-wide crackdown on this crime.

Our local Safer Neighbourhood Team have been prioritising bike theft since this was raised as a concern by residents at the Safer Neighbourhood Panel.

Local LibDem Councillors, Terry Stacy, John Gilbert and Laura Willoughby have also asked the Safer Neighbourhood Team to prioritise dangerous dogs after complaints to councillors across Islington about dogs being being trained in some locations to sharpen their claws by ripping the bark off trees.

Highbury East Councillors and LibDem activists, John Gilbert, Terry Stacy, Laura Willoughby and Julie Horten have been campaigning hard to get Transport for London to improve the treacherous cycle crossing over Holloway Road between Fieldway Crescent and Madras Place.  We keep pressing the Tory Mayor, Boris Johnson, who is responsible for the crossing as it is on a major road controlled by Transport for London.  Most recently LibDem GLA Member Caroline Pidgeon raised the issue with Boris again at Mayor’s Question time and yet was fobbed off with a bureaucratic reply about “options being developed” and “preliminary designs”.

It is a year since a cyclist was killed at this crossing and regular users know that heavy lorries constantly drive across the cycle crossing against red lights because the lights are so badly positioned that drivers cannot see them.  We don’t need “options to be developed” or “preliminary designs”.  What we need is action in the shape of a repeater set of traffic lights, a bigger box junction with fresh yellow paint and we need proper enforcement.  Boris and his bureaucrats should know that the LibDem team will not rest until we have them.

Highbury’s community gardeners have toasted a new decision by Islington
Council leaders to grant them a 50-year lease rent-free on Olden
Community Gardens, an walled garden and allotment site near the Emirates
stadium.

The Olden Community Garden on Whistler Street in Highbury is built onto
the steep railway embankment.  The land isn’t suitable to be a public
park, but Highbury’s keen gardeners have transformed it into an urban
oasis over twenty years, clearing brambles to create allotments.

156 local residents have keys to the garden, and local schools and
adults with learning disabilities are regularly invited to take lessons
in horticulture.  As part of the lease the Community Project will also
hold 50 supervised open days for the public every year.  The gardeners
won a Mayor’s civic award in March 2009 for their contribution to the
local community.

Teresa Ahearne, secretary to the Olden Gardens Community Project said:

“Eager local gardeners have made Olden Gardens what it is today.  We all
come together to look after the site - weeding, building the raised
beds, tending the plants.  It’s a great social space, and over the
summer we held some lovely lunches.

“We get help from the council and from local councillors, but we are a
community-based project that relies on fundraising.   To get funding we
need to be able to show we have a long and secure tenancy of the site,
so we asked the council for a lease on the land.  We’re delighted that
they agreed and we’ve got a long future ahead of us - and the garden
will still be here in 50 years time.”

Highbury East councillor and garden keyholder Terry Stacy added:

“Olden Gardens is an amazing green oasis, and the community gardeners
have done a brilliant job in turning this embankment into one of
Highbury’s hidden gems.  I’m particularly excited that the garden will
be opened up for more public open days each year.

“Helping local people get involved and take control of their community
assets is a key Liberal Democrat principle, and I’m proud we’re putting
that into action here in Islington.”

The Boer War memorial at Highbury Fields has been given a spruce up by council gardeners - with the turf replaced by plants themed around the South African landscape where the war was fought.

The bronze art nouveau statue of Victory was erected in 1905 to commemorate the 98 Islingtonians who did in the South African war between 1898 and 1903.

The new Plants include Euphorbia, African Lilies, and Red Hot Pokers, native to South Africa.

Highbury East councillor John Gilbert said:

“This war memorial is a real landmark at Highbury Corner, so it’s important that it looks great.  The Council is investing over £10 million in parks, planting, and greenery in Islington – and I think Islington is looking better all the time.  Having a South African theme to the planting is a really fitting commemoration.”

Local LibDem councillors Terry, Laura and John supported Highbury Barn’s  event marking the world’s first Plastic Bag Free Day on the 12th September 2009.   The purpose of the day was to encourage shoppers everywhere to ditch plastic bags for good, and to take reusable bags with them instead.

Shoppers at Highbury Barn enjoyed live music from the Highbury Soul Band, a Plastic Bag Monster (pictured here with Terry - the monster is the one on the left), stalls selling alternatives to plastic bags made by local craftspeople.  The local councillors arranged for more of the popular free Highbury Barn reusable cloth bags to be given to shoppers.

The event was organised by the Plastic Bag Free Highbury Barn Group who are local residents working to raise awareness about the problems associated with single use plastic bags and to encourage people shopping at the Barn to say no to plastic! Plastic bag Free Day is supported by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS)

Highbury needs more number 4 buses say Islington Liberal Democrats.  Local Lib Dem Councillors and residents are joining their colleagues along the route in lobbying Transport for London to improve this service.

A resident on the route, Arthur Graves (pictured), says “It is a hopelessly sporadic service which local people cannot rely on.  If the Mayor wants to get more people out of cars and on to public transport, Transport for London needs to do better than this.”

If you think the no 4 needs more buses and would like to join our campaign, please click here to sign our petition

Undoubtedly the highlight of the day was the unveiling of the newly restored Neighbours statue.  The statue, the work of the Austrian sculptor, Siegfried Charoux, had deteriorated badly since it was first insalled 50 years ago but was restored this year at the instigation of the TRA and paid for, among other contributors, by the local budget controlled by Laura, Terry and John.  To celebrate its re-inauguration the sculpture had been wrapped in brown paper, which was ripped off by children from the estate with the help and encouragement of Terry (pictured here) and local TRA chair Rebecca Hodgson

You voted overwhelmingly in our on-line poll for more trees in Highbury East. Now you decide where you would like to see new trees in your patch. Tell us your locations by email: Laura, Terry and John by clicking here or in the form below. You can also tell us where you want to see new bins!

You can complete the locations you want to see by clicking here and completing the locations here

ACTION is being taken against illegal and nuisance mini cabs in response to complaints from residents and businesses in Islington.

Concerns have been raised about some minicabs including unfit vehicles on the road, misuse of Blue Badges to get free parking intended for disabled people, illegal parking in residents’ bays and on yellow lines, and littering. 

Islington Council’s Parking Services have led joint operations with Islington Police, the Transport for London (TfL) Public Carriage Office, NSL Services Group, the council’s street wardens, and bailiffs. 

Since February, the team has carried out a total of 39 visits to mini cab offices in Islington with the following results: 

* The TfL Public Carriage Office has inspected 250 vehicles, and found 42 of them to be unfit for use, either because the vehicle was not roadworthy (eg bald tyres) or the driver’s details were invalid. 

* Staff from the council’s Parking Services, with assistance from police, have seized 37 Blue Badges from mini cab drivers, either because they were stolen, being used by people not entitled to them or were being misused. 

* Islington police have arrested 10 people, mostly for offences relating to stolen Blue Badges intended for use by disabled people. 

* Islington Council Street Wardens have issued 13 £80 fixed penalty notices for anti-social behaviour including littering. 

* Parking services staff handed out leaflets and posters explaining why operations are taking place and underlining the need to behave responsibly.  They have also issued 27 Penalty Charge Notices to mini cabs parked illegally. 

Cllr Terry Stacy, Islington Council’s Leader and a Highbury East Councillor, said: “These very successful operations have come about because of repeated complaints from our residents about some drivers’ behaviour. 

“Mini cabs are an important service, which we value, but clearly there are laws and rules that a minority have been openly ignoring, affecting the lives and sometimes even safety of others. 

“Rogue drivers be warned - there will be further joint operations like this.” 

Sergeant Mike Aldridge from the Islington Police North Problem Solving Team said: 

“This joint operation with London Borough of Islington sends out a clear message - We are operating a zero tolerance for illegal cabs in Islington. 

“We will continue to target illegal mini cabs to ensure that when you take a cab it is legal and safe.”  

Steve Burton, Transport for London’s Director of Community Safety, Enforcement and Policing, said:  

“We have joined forces with Islington Council to tackle illegal cabs and touting head on, particularly as it undermines the law abiding cab trade and we want Londoners to get home safely. 

“These operations should serve as a reminder that touting is taken seriously and enforcement action against these illegal cabs is ongoing.   

“What’s more Londoners should remember that only licensed taxis (Black cabs) can be hailed in the street or picked up at a rank without booking.   

“So any minicab journey that has not been booked through a licensed operator is illegal, uninsured and unsafe.”  

Since February a total of six joint operations have taken place. Complaints have centred on the Essex Road, Holloway Road and Caledonian Road areas, although operations have taken place throughout Islington and also on the borders of Haringey and Hackney.

As expected, the inspector has allowed the appeal but with important safeguards for local residents.  First of all coaches will have to fill up all the spaces in the off street car park at the Sobell centre and then on Queensland Road before they are allowed to park on residential streets.  Only when both those locations are filled up will they be allowed to park on Drayton Park - and the inspector has laid down that this may only happen for a maximum of two matches a year.

Commenting on the decision local LibDem councillor John Gilbert, who was a member of the planning committee which originally turned down the application, said “This is as good a result as we could hope for.  The Council originally planned for all football coaches to park underneath the stadium, but the police decided while the stadium was being built that this would pose too great a terrorism risk and the Council has had to grapple with the problem of coach parking ever since.  A maximum of two occasions a year on which coaches will be parked on Drayton Park is a good result for local residents  - and a vast improvement on the situation when I first came to Highbury and Arsenal played at the old stadium when coaches parked along Drayton Park for nearly every match”

Boris Johnson’s Transport for London bureaucrats have gone bonkers over Islington’s hanging flower baskets and ordered some of them come down - for health and safety reasons.

In an extraordinary bit of red tape, Transport for London bosses have told Islington Council that the baskets pose a risk to pedestrians, buses and cars.  The Council has had to check each lamp post to see if it can take the “strain”.Council staff have now taken down ten of the offending baskets along Upper Street and Holloway Road.Islington’s Liberal Democrat council has put up a record number of flower baskets this year - over 1000 across the borough.  Islington is representing London and the South East in this year’s ‘Britain in Bloom’ competition, so TfL’s intervention is particularly unwelcome.  TfL have a long history of supporting “Britain in Bloom” and were former sponsors. Islington’s Liberal Democrat council leader Terry Stacy said: “This is health and safety gone mad!  Flower baskets have never hurt anyone in all the time we’ve had them in Islington - they’re fixed to the lamp column.

“But the City Hall Clipboard Brigade have ordered them down.  It makes no sense - we’ve only been told to take some down while others in the same street are fine!

“This is a real slap in the face for the Liberal Democrat council’s efforts to brighten up Islington.”

Liberal Democrat Greater Assembly Member, Caroline Pidgeon, who also chairs the GLA Transport Committee, said:

“Boris made great play of having a bonfire of petty regulations when he stood for election.  Yet here in Islington we see nothing’s changed since Ken Livingstone’s heyday.

“Islington’s flowers are a joy.  Boris’ bureaucrats are just killjoys.”

Islington’s flower displays this year include:

556 lamp post baskets
341 Barrier baskets
90 hanging baskets
17 Floral towers

Sgt Francis took the meeting through the latest crime statistics for our ward.  The team have had a number of successes in tackling youth anti-social behaviour, street drinking and irresponsible dog owners.  The Panel agreed that the local police team should have preventing burglaries and theft from motor vehicles as their main priorities but should also crack down on cycling on pavements and anti-social dog owners. 

There will be a further meeting of the panel to review progress, which has been provisionally set for 24 September.  If you are interested in attending, please contact the team on 020 7161 9385.  Alternatively you can drop in to see the team at one of the regular “surgeries” they hold at the Victim Support Office: the next is from 2.30 to 8pm  on Wednesday 26 August.  Further details about the team are in their Summer Newsletter  or can be found on the Metropolitan Police website (click here)

Cllr John Gilbert said:
“It really is ridiculous that Londoners have to pay a new fare every time they change
bus. On some quite short journeys you need to change buses, so you’re paying £2
or more to just travel a couple of miles.

“Bus travel should be treated in the same way as Tube travel. You can already
switch from Tube to Tube on the same ticket so it makes real sense to allow people to do the same with buses.

“One hour bus tickets already operate successfully in Paris, Rome and Brussels. It is
time London caught up and gave bus users a fair deal.

Explaining how the new tickets would operate Laura Willoughby said:

“I think one hour bus tickets would make bus travel very attractive to a lot of people
who often don’t use the bus at present. It makes sense. To get from Whittington Hospital to Newington Green takes 2 buses for just 3 miles and cost £2. With a 1 hour ticket the 40 minutes journey would cost just £1.

“The Liberal Democrats are challenging Boris Johnson to introduce one hour bus
tickets and people can support the campaign by signing our petition.

Did you know?

Highbury East Liberal Democrat councillors Laura Willoughby, Terry Stacy and John Gilbert were united in condemning the suggestion.  ”Accommodating Travellers is a serious issue, especially in a densely populated borough like Islington, and the Mayor of London does require us to give serious consideration to it in our Core Strategy,” said John “but this suggestion of using Highbury Fields just shows that lunacy is never far from the surface in Islington’s Labour Party.  It defies belief that the leader of the Labour Party on Islington Council should be so out of touch with the views of residents as to put forward one of our best parks for use of anything other than sport and recreation.

The best construction that can be put on Cllr West’s remark is that it was intended as a joke but we don’t think that the preservation of Highbury Fields is a joking matter.  Cllr West has been reprimanded and forced to make a public apology by the Council’s Standards Committee after a homophobic “joke” she made in another public meeting.

We have just issued a core strategy document saying we will identify sites for travellers,  but we
don’t think parks are suitable sites, as we have the smallest amount of greenspace in London.

With less than a year to the local council elections this is a timely reminder of just how incompetent Labour are and what a disaster they would be if they won control of the council.  Local LibDem councillor Terry added “With no Tories and only one Green on the council, the elections will be a straight fight between the LibDems and Labour in Islington: voting for the Conservatives or Greens will let Labour’s hard-line supporters elect a Labour council which will take us straight back to the mess the LibDems have worked so hard to clear up over the past 9 years.  Labour’s idea of using Highbury Fields as a Travellers’ camp site shows just what a disaster that would be.”

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Highbury, hanging baskets have gone up on Highbury Grove, Highbury Park and Blackstock Road.  Work has also just started on a new planting scheme around the Boer War Memorial at the bottom of Highbury Fields.

We think it is a crazy idea: the pavement here is quite narrow, it is a very busy location and there is a heavily used bus stop nearby.  As your local councillors we are therefore minded to oppose the application, but please tell us what you think by posting a comment on this site or by emailing us on councillors@highburyeast.org.uk.

Network Rail made a decision to evict local traders from their pitches outside Highbury and Islington station and rent the sites to the highest bidder. The News kiosk, creperie, florist, and coffee stand are all under threat of closure. The traders collected a petition with more than 2,700 signatures, which they took their petition to the Network Rail HQ at Kings Cross this week. Terry Stacy, leader of Islington Council, has backed their calls to be treated fairly by the railway company, and joined the protest on the street.

Terry said:

“Network Rail bosses have a responsibility to the traders at Highbury and Islington. These local businesses have worked hard to build up their custom - they are trusted and valued local traders. The station needs improving, but it’s stupid to get rid of the good, unique things that are already here, like these kiosks. We simply don’t need another Starbucks here.”

After months of prevarication by Tory Mayor, Boris Johnson, Terry, John and Laura’s campaign for safety improvements to the cycle and pedestrian crossing over Holloway Road between Fieldway Crescent and Madras Place is at last bearing fruit. LibDem GLA member Caroline Pidgeon who has been campaigning alongside the three Highbury East Councillors has now been told by one of Boris’ advisers “that deliverable options could exist to enable us to provide a facility for pedestrians and cyclists without impacting on other road users”.

Translated into English, that appears to mean that they can make the crossing safer and they are at last working on what they call “interim designs” for the improvements, which they have promised to show us by the end of June. Interim designs are not the same as moving the traffic lights but at least it is some progress and Terry, John and Laura will be keeping on the pressure to make sure that Boris’ creaking bureaucracy finally delivers the results local councillors and residents have been campaigning for.

Islington Now was first published in 2001, soon after the Liberal Democrats first took control of Islington Council and demonstrates our commitment to listening to you, our residents, and communicating with you. Putting the magazine online also allows access to backnumbers of the magazine, including the very first edition which announced cuts in council tax, bringing it down from the highest in London under the previous Labour administration, cleaner streets and more investment in parks.  These remain high priorities for your Liberal Democrat councillors today.

Work has now started on upgrading the North London Line through Highbury & Islington station.  When it is finished in 2011/12, faster, more spacious trains (see picture) will run direct from Highbury to Stratford (for the Olympic Park and also for the DLR to Canary Wharf) and to South London.  Details of the new service can be found by clicking here

Until then there will be a lot of disruption and inconvenience.  Your local Highbury East councillors, Terry, John and Laura, are particularly concerned about noise while works take place at night and at weekends from now until this December and then full time from December until next summer. We have written individually to the residents most likely to be affected in Highbury Place, Corsica Street and Calabria Road.  If you are badly affected there is a helpline on 0845 711 41 41.  Alternatively, you can email us on councillors@highburyeast.org.uk and we will take it up with Network Rail and their contractors.

There will be disruption too due to rail services being suspended and replaced by buses.  This will occur at weekends until December and then full time until next summer.  Details of the replacement bus services can be found by clicking here.

Laura, Terry and John have thrown their hands up in despair at Mayor Boris Johnson’s total lack of action on the unsafe cycle crossing on Holloway Road.

They presented a petition of over 1000 local residents demanding action at the cycle crossing near Central Library where Lisa Pontecorvo was killed eight months ago.

The latest response received from the Mayor states once again that he will ‘review’ the junction and look at ‘cost effective’ solutions. But this answer is not much different from the response he gave in October 2008 when asked a question in City Hall about the same junction.

Cyclist and Highbury East Liberal Democrat councillor John Gilbert said:

“We asked a question at City Hall back in October 2008. The response was that they were reviewing the collision data and the design.

“But six months on and Boris just says he will review the junction again! How many times do they have to look it at?

“It is obviously a dangerous junction. Residents have asked for action and someone has been killed here. We want the junction changed now. It’s not rocket science.”

GLA member Caroline Pidgeon, who presented the petition and asked the question on behalf of Highbury residents said: “This is just ridiculous. Residents want a Mayor that gets things done. Sadly in Boris’s case there is no sign of that.”

Highbury East Councillors are keeping up the pressure. You can sign the petition by clicking here

The Letters

The reply received from the Mayor in October 2008 said:
“TfL is currently undertaking a review of the last three years of collision data for the junction of Holloway Road with Madras Place/Fieldway Crescent. In conjunction with this study, a review of the previous design options is being carried out along with an on-site assessment to identify options to improve conditions for both pedestrians and cyclists.”

The letter from the Mayor of London received on the 23rd April 2009 says:
“I have asked TfL to review the issues relating to this junction and to determine whether any cost effective solutions can be made.”

The Metropolitan Police Service annual crime figures released on 16th April show that crime is down by 3.4 percent in Islington, which equates to 1028 fewer victims.  

There have been 124 fewer victims of personal robbery, which is down by 11 percent, and 333 fewer victims of residential burglary, which is down by a fifth.   

Local Highbury East Liberal Democrat Councillor, Terry Stacy, who is also Islington Council’s Executive Member for Community Safety, said: “These figures are good news for Islington’s residents. We all have concerns about crime and anti-social behaviour.   From paying for 14 Police Community Support Officers who work with our schools, to helping set up dispersal zones to stop anti-social behaviour, we work very closely with Islington Police and will keep doing so.”  Read the rest of this entry. Read the rest of this entry.

Boris has announced proposals to cut up to 6 seconds of the time pedestrians have to cross major roads at crossings controlled by traffic lights - this would mean a reduction from 18 seconds to just 12 seconds at the busy crossing on Holloway Road between Highbury Fields and Highbury and Islington Station.

Boris’ plan would make it particularly difficult for elderly people, people with disabilities and people with young children or heavy baggage to cross the road to the post office and station.

Sign the petition by by clicking here

The move was fiercely opposed by the Liberal Democrat administration who have received hundreds of letters from struggling residents who back the Liberal Democrat proposal to freeze Islington’s council tax and protect frontline services.

Sign our petition

by clicking here

Islington Council Leader, James Kempton (Liberal Democrat), said:”When times are hard, all Islington residents need money in their pockets. That’s why the Liberal Democrats wanted to see a council tax freeze this year. We worked hard to deliver value for money, with no cuts to front line services.

“But Labour seems hell-bent on squeezing more council tax out of hard-pressed residents who are already suffering from the worst recession in 100 years.

“Liberal Democrats have kept their promise every year to keep council tax below the London average. Residents trust us to keep their bills low while improving services and back our campaign for a council tax freeze in droves.

“But Labour doesn’t seem to care about residents except for wanting to get their hands on more of their hard-earned cash. As if Gordon Brown hasn’t done enough damage already, here we have Labour locally rubbing salt into the wound.

“Ten years ago Labour saddled residents with the highest council tax in London. Labour’s council tax hike shows what would happen if Labour ever took back control of the council again.”

Islington has been in no overall control since 2006 with 23 Liberal Democrats, 23 Labour, 1 Green and 1 former Lib Dem now sitting as an Independent. All Labour councillors and the Independent voted for the council tax rise and the Green councillor abstained.

The 2.5% rise means a rise of about £50 to band H council tax payers

Amongst Labours high spend proposals now adopted were free school meals for all primary school kids. In fact, about half of all families qualify under the Governments mean-tested scheme, so the “winners” here are the wealthier residents with children of the right age-including London Mayor Boris Johnson! Another idea was for a £100 rebate for pensioners-again, not means tested, and of benefit to rich and poor alike.

These ideas from Islington Labour have embarrassed Labour nationally, as these proposals are not party policy, and heaped embarrassment on neighbouring Labour Boroughs such as Haringey, whose lead member for children ridiculed the idea of a free school meal policy there.

After the meeting, jubilant Labour councillors were slapping themselves on the back and addressing each other triumphantly as “ Comrade” in a vivid throwback to the bad old days when Islington was a “looney left” Labour Borough.

The campaign by Highbury East LibDem councillors, Laura Willoughby, Terry Stacy and John Gilbert to save the ticket office at Drayton Park station has resulted in success.  At a meeting with LibDem councillors on 25 March, the train operator, First Capital Connect, agreed to abandon their plans to close the ticket office and will now to keep it open from 6am to 10am on weekdays.  First Capital Connect also confirmed that they would investigate converting part of the inside of the station building into a retail shop/cafe which would be open during normal trading hours and where travellers could also buy a full range of rail tickets.  If this proves feasible the shop could be open by the end of this year.

The reprieve for the ticket office is one of a series of improvements at Drayton Park promised by First Capital Connect during the meeting.  Others included running more 6-carriage trains to relieve overcrowding from later in 2009, a face-lift for the station building and improved access to the platform.

Local LibDem councillor, John Gilbert, who represented Highbury East at the meeting with First Capital Connect, said “I’m delighted that our campaign on behalf of local residents has been such a success.  There is more to be done at Drayton Park to improve the frequency of the service and the comfort and reliability of the trains.  This will take longer to achieve but I’m really pleased that First Capital Connect recognise the issues commuters face at the station and are listening to their concerns”